Friday, 26 April 2013

[cobirds] HSR: Dinosaur Ridge (26 Apr 2013) 51 Raptors

Dinosaur Ridge
Colorado, USA

Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 26, 2013
SpeciesDay's CountMonth TotalSeason Total
Black Vulture000
Turkey Vulture8144153
Osprey02122
Bald Eagle0229
Northern Harrier056
Sharp-shinned Hawk98290
Cooper's Hawk1492103
Northern Goshawk000
Red-shouldered Hawk000
Broad-winged Hawk32626
Red-tailed Hawk384218
Rough-legged Hawk006
Swainson's Hawk055
Ferruginous Hawk019
Golden Eagle169
American Kestrel792114
Merlin033
Peregrine Falcon01213
Prairie Falcon0317
Mississippi Kite000
Unknown Accipiter33034
Unknown Buteo12332
Unknown Falcon066
Unknown Eagle011
Unknown Raptor21215
Total:51650911


Observation start time: 09:00:00
Observation end time: 15:00:00
Total observation time: 6 hours
Official CounterDave Hill
Observers: Cynthia Madsen, David Gulbenkian, Janet Shin, Jim Schmoker, Tom Dennehy



Visitors:
Hikers 22 Bikers 20 Runners 5 Dogs 5 Paragliders 3

Weather:
Today's weather was just wonderful. Temps ranged from 54 degrees F. to 61, winds varied from the north to east at 0-10 mph and cloud cover did not exceed 15%.

Raptor Observations:
65 raptors were observed today. (51 migrants along with 14 locals) 11 Turkey Vulture 8 MIgrants, 3 Local Birds 2 Golden Eagle 1 Migrant, 1 Local bird 10 Sharp-shinned Hawk 9 Migrants, 1 Local bird 17 Cooper's Hawk 14 Migrants, 3 Local birds 3 Accipiter sp. 3 Migrants 3 Broad-winged Hawk 3 Migrants 6 Red-tailed Hawk 3 Migrants, 3 Local birds 1 Buteo sp. 1 Migrant 9 American Kestrel 7 Migrants, 2 Local bird 2 Raptor sp. 2 Migrants 1 Prairie Falcon A local bird, probably from the Red Rocks Amphitheater area

Non-raptor Observations:
White-throated Swift 74 Broad-tailed Hummingbird 1 Northern Flicker 1 Western Scrub-Jay 2 Black-billed Magpie 1 Common Raven 14 Tree Swallow 2 Mountain Chickadee 3 Bushtit 2 Rock Wren 1 Townsend's Solitaire 3 American Robin 2 Spotted Towhee 1 Western Meadowlark 1 Mule Deer on east side of ridge 9 Elk visible north of Cabrini shrine 5

Predictions:
Predictions are for another wonderful day, 5 degrees warmer and a stronger wind.


Report submitted by Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory (jeff.birek@rmbo.org)
Dinosaur Ridge information may be found at: http://www.rmbo.org/

Site Description
Dinosaur Ridge is the only regularly staffed hawkwatch in Colorado and is the
best place in the world to see migrating Ferruginous Hawks. Dinosaur Ridge may
be the best place in the country to see the rare dark morph of the Broad-winged
Hawk (a few are seen each spring). Hawkwatchers who linger long enough may see
resident Golden Eagles, Red-tailed Hawks and Prairie Falcons, in addition to
migrating Swainson's, Cooper's and Sharp-shinned Hawks, American Kestrels and
Turkey Vultures. Peregrine Falcons and Ferruginous Hawks are uncommon; Northern
Goshawk is rare but regular. Non-raptor species include Rock Wren, and sometimes
Bushtit, Western Bluebird, Sandhill Crane, White-throated Swift, American White
Pelican or Dusky Grouse. Birders are always welcome.
The hawkwatch is generally staffed by volunteers from the Rocky Mountain Bird
Observatory from about 9 AM to around 4 PM from the first week of March to the
first week of May.

Directions to site:
From exit 259 on I-70 towards Morrison, drive south under freeway and take left
into first parking lot, the Stegosaurus lot. Follow small signs from the south
side of lot to hawkwatch site. The hike starts heading east on an old two-track
and quickly turns south onto a trail on the west side of the ridge. When the
trail nears the top of the ridge, turn left, head through the gate, and walk to
the clearly-visible, flat area at the crest of the ridge.



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